Black bear hops fence, heads straight for hummingbird feeder in B.C. backyard

Hummingbird feeder brings bear to yard A caught-on-camera incident in Coquitlam B.C. is a reminder that black bears are hungry this time of year, and bird feeders are attractants.

A black bear sauntered into a Coquitlam, B.C. backyard Sunday – heading straight for a hummingbird feeder hanging from a tree.

The video posted to Instagram comes as the BC Conservation Officer Service is reminding people that despite the record-breaking hot weather, bears will be hibernating soon and are looking to "pack on the calories for winter dormancy."

In the video, the bear hops a fence before and makes its way to the dangling container of sugary liquid. Standing on its hind legs, it takes a few sniffs and then removes the bottom with its paws, sending the contents cascading down.

After lapping up the liquid, the bear continues to paw at the tree branch as though trying to remove the feeder. Unsuccessful, it takes a few final licks before heading back to the fence.

The person who posted the video said the animal spent a little time "bathing in the sun" before leaving the property.

The North Shore Black Bear Society, in a warning last year, described hummingbird feeders as "energy drinks for bears" and powerful attractants that can bring them into residential neighbourhoods.

"Black bears are agile climbers and some bears will even climb onto a deck or roof of a house to reach for the sugary treat of a suspended feeder," the social media post read.

"Once a bear finds a food source/energy drink in the neighbourhood, they will be encouraged to stay and look for more easy calories, which is a death sentence for a black bear in B.C."

However, it's not just these feeders that are discouraged during bear season. Others that contain nuts and seeds are also sources of easy calories for hungry bears, according to Bear Smart Durango.

The organization recommends removing all bird feeders between mid-March and mid-November every year.

"Birds don’t need supplemental feed at this time anyway and it is very difficult to feed birds without also attracting bears," the website explains.

"Bird feeders are often a wild bear's first exposure to human foods and studies have shown that over 80 per cent of nuisance bear activity can be traced back to a bear's first encounter with bird feeders. Bears quickly learn what they are, the caloric boost they provide and most importantly, bird feeders train bears to come right up to homes."

More information on how to eliminate attractanct and reduce the risk of human-bear conflicts can be found online.